Ent
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Ents are a fictional race of humanoid trees from J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy world of Middle-earth. They appear to have been inspired by the talking trees of many of the world's folklores (see tree (mythology) for more information). At the time The Lord of the Rings takes place, there are no young ents (known as entings) because the entwives (female ents) were lost (see below).
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[edit] Etymology
The word "Ent" was taken from Anglo-Saxon, where it means "giant". (Tolkien extracted the word from the Anglo-Saxon poetry fragments orþanc enta geweorc = "work of cunning giants" and eald enta geweorc = "old work of giants", which described Roman ruins; see Orthanc). In this sense of the word, Ents are probably the most ubiquitous of all creatures in fantasy and folklore, perhaps second only to dragons. The word Ent as it is historically used can refer to any number of large, roughly humanoid creatures, including, but not limited to, giants, trolls, orcs, and even Grendel from the poem Beowulf.
In this meaning of the word, Ents are one of the staples of fantasy and folklore/mythology, alongside wizards, knights, princesses, and dragons, although modern English-speakers would probably not call them by their traditional name.
Along with Old Norse Jotun, "ent" came from Common Germanic *etunaz.
[edit] Description
Treebeard, the oldest living Ent[1], was described as
...a large Man-like, almost Troll-like, figure, at least fourteen foot high, very sturdy, with a tall head, and hardly any neck. Whether it was clad in stuff like green and grey bark, or whether that was its hide, was difficult to say. At any rate the arms, at a short distance from the trunk, were not wrinkled, but covered with a brown smooth skin. The large feet had seven toes each. The lower part of the long face was covered with a sweeping grey beard, bushy, almost twiggy at the roots, thin and mossy at the ends. But at the moment the hobbits noted little but the eyes. These deep eyes were now surveying them, slow and solemn, but very penetrating.[2]
Ents are a very old race that appeared in Middle-earth when the Elves did. They were apparently created by Eru Ilúvatar at the behest of Yavanna after she learned of Aulë's children, the Dwarves, knowing that they would want to fell trees. Ents were envisioned as Shepherds of the Trees, to protect the forests from Orcs, Dwarves and other perils. Although the Ents were sentient beings at the time of their awakening, they did not know how to speak until the Elves taught them. Treebeard said that the Elves "cured us of dumbness" that it was a great gift that could not be forgotten ("They always wished to talk to everything, the old Elves did.").[2]
Ents are tree-like creatures, having become somewhat like the trees that they shepherd. They vary in traits, in everything from height (standing about fifteen feet high) to their size, colouring, and the number of fingers and toes. They had the same mortal weakness as well, fire, and anything larger than them that could crush them. An individual Ent more or less resembles the specific species of tree that he typically guards. For example, Quickbeam guarded Rowan trees and thus looked very much like a Rowan (tall and slender). In the Third Age of Middle-earth, the forest of Fangorn was apparently the only place Ents still inhabited, although the Ent-like Huorns may still have survived elsewhere, as in the Old Forest.
Treebeard boasted to Merry and Pippin about the strength of the Ents. He said that they were much more powerful than Trolls, which Morgoth (in the Elder Days or First Age) supposedly made as mockeries of the Ents but did not come near to their power. He compares this with how Orcs were Morgoth's imitation of Elves. Ents are tall and very strong, capable of tearing apart rock and stone. Tolkien describes them as tossing great slabs of stone about, and ripping down the walls of Isengard "...like bread-crust."[3]
Unlike the Dwarves, the Ents did not bother to keep their own language, a very long and tedious language known as Entish, a secret, since no other races could master it.
The Elvish name for the Ents (as a race) is Onodrim, a single Ent is Onod, and multiple Ents is Enyd.[4]
[edit] History
[edit] First Age
Almost nothing is known of the early history of the Ents. After the dwarves were put to sleep by Eru to await the coming of the elves, Aulë told Yavanna, his wife who "is the lover of all things that grow in the earth,"[5] of them and she reacted with: "They will delve in the earth, and the things that grow and live upon the earth they will not heed. Many a tree shall feel the bite of their iron without pity."[6] After this she went to Manwë and appealed to him to protect the trees, the ents were the result. Yavanna then warned Aulë "now let thy children beware! For there shall walk a power in the forests whose wrath they will arouse at their peril."[7] They are there mentioned as the "Shepherds of the Trees". Treebeard told of a time when apparently all of Eriador was one huge forest and part of his domain, but these immense forests were cut by the Númenóreans of the Second Age, or destroyed in the calamitous War of the Elves and Sauron of the 17th century of the Second Age. Treebeard's statement is also supported by remarks Elrond made at the Council of Elrond. Elrond said that "Time was when a squirrel could go from tree to tree from what is now the Shire to Dunland west of Isengard."[8], further indicating that all of Eriador was once a single vast primeval forest, of which Fangorn forest was just "the Eastern End of it"[cite this quote] according to Treebeard.
[edit] Entwives
There used to be Entwives (literally "Ent-women"), but they started to move farther away from the Ents because they liked to plant and control things, while the Ents liked to let things take their natural course, so they moved away to the region that would later become the Brown Lands across the Great River Anduin, though the male Ents still visited them. The Entwives, unlike the Ents, interacted with the race of Men and taught them much about the art of agriculture.
Apparently the male Ents and female Entwives exhibited a marked degree of sexual dimorphism; the male Ents all resemble wild forest trees that they guard (oaks, rowans, etc.), but the Entwives guarded agricultural plants, and it would thus seem to be implied that they resembled the various agricultural plants and trees they guarded: Treebeard remarks that their hair was the hue of ripe corn (grain).
The Entwives lived in peace until their gardens were destroyed by Sauron (most likely during the War of the Last Alliance), and they themselves disappeared. The Ents looked for them but never found them. It was sung by the Elves (Ents were content to simply "chant their beautiful names")[2] that one day the Ents and Entwives would find each other. Indeed, in The Return of the King Treebeard implored the Hobbits not to forget to send word to him if they "hear any news" of the Entwives "in your land."[9]
In The Fellowship of the Ring, Samwise Gamgee mentions his cousin Hal claims to have seen a treelike giant, which resembled an elm not only in size but actual appearance, in the north of the Shire.[10] During the Fangorn episode, Merry and Pippin told Treebeard about the Shire. Treebeard said that the Entwives would have liked that land. This, combined with the giant-sighting by Sam's cousin Hal mentioned above, has led to some speculation by readers that the Entwives may have lived near the Shire. Tolkien himself spent much time considering what actually happened to the Entwives (at one point simply saying even he didn't know), however eventually he stated in Letters #144: "I think that in fact the Entwives have disappeared for good, being destroyed with their gardens in the War of the Last Alliance…".[11]
At the end of the story after Aragorn is crowned king, he promised Treebeard that the Ents could prosper again and spread to new lands with the threat of Mordor gone, and renew their search for the Entwives. However, Treebeard sadly lamented that forests may spread but the Ents would not, and he predicted that the few remaining Ents would remain in Fangorn forest until they slowly dwindled in number or become "treeish". "Sheep get like shepherd, and shepherds get like sheep. [...] But it is quicker and closer, with trees and Ents", he said.[2]
[edit] Entings
Although never seen and only briefly mentioned, Entings are young Ents. There are almost no descriptions of Entings, but it can be presumed from descriptions of Quickbeam (a young and hasty Ent) and Treebeard's comments about younger Ents as being more "bendy" than older ones, that they are much like saplings and such, and perhaps even seedlings at their youngest. It is not at all made clear if they are born similar to the trees they shepherd, or they become that way, or even how they are born at all.
According to Treebeard there are no Entings upon Middle Earth at the time of the Third Age, and there haven't been any for quite some time. And there will never be any more Entings afterwards either "as there are no Entwives".
[edit] The Last March of the Ents
In The Two Towers, the second volume of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, the Ents—usually a very patient, deliberate people—become angry at Saruman, whose armies are cutting down large numbers of their trees. They convene an Entmoot, a meeting of the Ents of Fangorn forest at Derndingle.
After lengthy deliberation (three days; though from the perspective of the Ents, this is very quick action), they march on Saruman's fortress at Isengard: the Last March of the Ents. They are led by Treebeard, the oldest Ent, and accompanied by the Hobbits Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. The Ents that marched against Isengard numbered about 50, plus Huorns. They destroy Isengard in an all-out assault, ripping down the wall around it, and eventually becoming so enraged the power of their voices alone causes great destruction — "If the Great Sea had risen in wrath and fallen on the hills with storm, it could have worked no greater ruin."[12] — and trap Saruman in the tower of Orthanc. Tolkien later noted that the destruction of Isengard by the Ents was based on his disappointment in Macbeth; when "Birnham Wood be come to Dunsinane", Tolkien was less than thrilled that it amounted to men walking on stage with leaves in their hats. He decided that when he did that scene for himself, he would do it right.[citation needed]
[edit] Named Ents
In the narrative of The Lord of the Rings, six Ents are named by name. The main Ent character, and the first encountered by the readers and the hobbits, is Fangorn (Treebeard). The other ents are Beechbone, Bregalad, Fimbrethil, Finglas, and Fladrif.
- Fangorn: Also known as Treebeard, by the end of the Third Age, he, Skinbark, and Leaflock were the last remaining of the first Ents who appeared in Middle-earth sometime in the First Age, and as such, were among the oldest of creatures. In the long passage of time, the domain of the Ents was gradually reduced to Fangorn forest, named for Treebeard's Sindarin name. In the film adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Treebeard states that he has never heard of hobbits, while in the book, Treebeard does not express this sentiment, and it is implied that he does know what hobbits are.
- Finglas: Translated from the Elvish as Leaflock, by the end of the Third Age, he, Skinbark, and Treebeard were the last remaining of the first Ents who appeared in Middle-earth sometime in the First Age, and as such, were among the oldest of creatures. In the long passage of time, the domain of the Ents was gradually reduced to Fangorn forest. By the time of the War of the Ring, Leaflock had become sleepy and treeish. He began to stand alone in a meadow and doze during the summer. At first, he would awake in wintertime, but eventually he remained in place year-round. He was covered in leafy hair.
- Fladrif: Translated from the Elvish as Skinbark, by the end of the Third Age, he, Leaflock, and Treebeard were the last remaining of the first Ents who appeared in Middle-earth sometime in the First Age, and as such, were among the oldest of creatures. Skinbark lived on the mountain slopes west of Isengard. Saruman's orcs ravaged this area, cutting down trees and killing Ents. Skinbark himself was wounded by them. He retreated far up the mountain slopes to live among the birches that he favoured and refused to come down.
- Beechbone: An Ent who was burned and died by Saruman's devices. His death angered the rest of the Ents. In Peter Jackson's film adaptation, an Ent presumed to be Beechbone is briefly seen extinguishing himself in the flood that engulfs Isengard and therefore is presumed to be alive.
- Bregalad: Also known as Quickbeam, Bregalad was a relatively young Ent at the time of the War of the Ring, roughly "middle aged" and not nearly as old as Treebeard (though he was a full adult; there had been no Ent children since the disappearance of the Entwives). Bregalad guarded rowan trees, and as such he resembled a rowan himself. The word "quickbeam" is an English dialect word for the mountain ash or rowan tree. His Sindarin name (Bregalad) translates roughly as "Quickbeam" (from bragol "sudden" and galad "tree"). He received this name when he said "yes" before another Ent had finished asking a question; this showed that he was unusually "hasty" for his race. At the Entmoot, Bregalad lived up to his reputation for hastiness; he was the first to decide to attack Isengard, since Saruman's Orcs had destroyed many of his rowan groves. Seeing that Bregalad's mind was already made up, Treebeard sent him to watch over Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took while the debate among the other Ents continued. He later played an important role in the attack on Isengard, nearly capturing Saruman himself. Although Quickbeam does not expressly appear in The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers film adaptation, there is a "Rowan Ent" seen in the film that many fans have taken to be Quickbeam pared down to a non-speaking role.
- Fimbrethil: Treebeard's long-lost wife, also known as Wandlimb the lightfooted. The pair were beloved since before even Morgoth first arose in power during the youth of the world. Translated, her name meant according to the 1966 Index 'slim-birch' (according to Appendix F 'slender-beech'). As with all of the other Entwives, Fimbrethil had been missing since Sauron's forces destroyed the gardens of the Entwives during the Second Age. At the time of the War of the Ring, Treebeard had not seen his beloved Fimbrethil for over 3,000 years.
[edit] Statue
There are plans to erect a statue of Treebeard by Tim Tolkien, J.R.R. Tolkien's great-nephew, near his former home in Moseley, Birmingham.[13] It is possible that nearby Moseley Bog may have been one of the first places where the young Tolkien regularly encountered veteran trees of various species.
[edit] Popular culture
In fantasy and role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, EverQuest, Magic: The Gathering, Games Workshop's Warhammer Fantasy Battle, Square Enix's Final Fantasy series, and the Warcraft PC game series, Tolkien-like Ents are known as Treants, Treemen or Treefolk, for trademark reasons (much like Hobbits are only referred to as Halflings in D&D, Heroes of Might and Magic, Overlord and EverQuest). Tolkien-like Ents are also depicted in the MMORPGs RuneScape and Rubies of Eventide, as well as the real-time strategy game Myth: The Fallen Lords, among other games.
In some incarnations, these tree-people are very close in spirit to their Tolkienesque forebears, although others, like, D&D have explored the concept of corrupt trees and tree-like monsters (akin to Old Man Willow and the Huorns of Fangorn). For instance, in the MMORPG Shadow Bane Treants are mid-level monsters.
Ent is also Internet slang for a valuable contributor to a discussion, as opposed to a troll (in reference to the mutilation and corruption of Ents done to develop Trolls).[citation needed]
The Wood comes alive to save the Narnians in the final battle of Prince Caspian, which was written by fellow Inklings member C. S. Lewis. In the movie, these trees are depicted to be closer to Huorns than Ents.
The Fall of Troy has a song entitled "The Last March of the Ents" on their self-titled debut album released in 2003.
[edit] References
- ^ Fisher, Mark (1999-12-30). Encyclopedia of Arda: Treebeard. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ a b c d The Two Towers, book 3, chapter 4: "Treebeard".
- ^ The Two Towers, book 3, chapter 9: "Flotsam and Jetsam".
- ^ Fisher, Mark (2002-12-14). Encyclopedia of Arda: Onodrim. Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
- ^ The Silmarillion, Valaquenta
- ^ The Silmarillion, chapter 2: "Of Aulë and Yavanna"
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, book 2, chapter 2: "The Council of Elrond".
- ^ The Return of the King, book 6, chapter 6: "Many Partings".
- ^ The Fellowship of the Ring, book 1, chapter 2: "The Shadow of the Past".
- ^ Tolkien, J. R. R. (1981). in Carpenter, Humphrey with Christopher Tolkien: The Letters of J. R. R. Tolkien. Boston: George Allen & Unwin/Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-0482-6005-3.
- ^ The Two Towers, book 3, chapter 8: "The Road to Isengard".
- ^ Moseley Statue (2007-09-05). Retrieved on 2007-11-25.
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